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Aikido Jinsei, is the autobiography of Shioda Gozo, the founder of Yoshinkan Aikido. First published in Japan in 1985, Shioda Sensei uses this book to share his experiences, his aikido and his way of life with his readers. Aikido Jinsei is remarkable for the author's extremely candid approach. Throughout the book, Shioda Sensei openly shares his most personal experiences from his childhood, his time during the war and his training with the founder of Aikido, Ueshiba Morihei Sensei. He shares key insights about Aikido which he learned from Ueshiba Sensei and he clearly documents the events after the war which led to the establishment of the Yoshinkan and his own unique brand of Aikido.

The translators, Christopher Johnston and Jacques Payet, have again worked closely with the Yoshinkan Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, to bring the first full and complete translation of Aikido Jinsei to English readers.

Aikido Shugyo, the first of Shioda-sama's books translated by Payet and Johnston, is one of the best martial arts autobiographies available. This companion volume is equally well produced, with the translation capturing a clear, individual voice, which I assume is very much as it must have been to speak with the author. I thought the content was a little repetitive from the perspective of aikido anecdotes/advice, but the stories about the war and the founding of the Yoshinkan hombu dojo are quite interesting. If you have a thing for martial arts history, this is almost as much of a must-read as Shugyo.